QuakeIndex

Earthquake · reviewed by a seismologist

M 3.0md

Earthquake near Ponce, PR

No earthquake was likely felt in Ponce in the 24 hours to 10:10 am AST (14:10 UTC). The last one was M 3.0, 26 km (16 mi) WSW, at 3:45 am AST on 8 November 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town. Every earthquake near Ponce

This page: a magnitude 3.0 earthquake was recorded 46 km (29 mi) southeast of Ponce, PR, at 5:40 pm AST on 12 August 2023 (21:40 UTC), 20 km deep. 1 person has reported feeling it to USGS.

USGS: Puerto Rico region

77 km (48 mi) SSW of San Juan, PR · 46 km (28 mi) SE of Ponce, PR

5:40 pm AST, Aug 12, 2023 · · 20 km deep · released about 890 lb of TNT

Every earthquake near Ponce Felt it? Tell USGS Check my area
10 km30 km60 km120 km N Salinas Municipio 25 kmSanta Isabel Municipio 26 kmGuayama Municipio 30 kmJuana Díaz Municipio 36 kmArroyo Municipio 36 kmCoamo Municipio 41 kmCayey Municipio 42 kmPatillas Municipio 43 kmAibonito Municipio 43 km
Distance rings around the epicentre, with the nearest towns at their true direction and later quakes as coloured dots. Not a shaking map — see the USGS ShakeMap for that.
When
5:40 pm AST on 12 August 2023 ()
Where
46 km (29 mi) southeast of Ponce, PR · earthquakes near Ponce
Magnitude
M 3.0 (md)
Depth
20 km below the surface
Felt
1 report · strongest reported intensity II
Nearest
Salinas Municipio, 25 km N
Status
Reviewed by a seismologist

USGS · last changed by USGS · we first saw it 1187 days ago

This was a small earthquake. Shaking like this is often felt indoors nearby and very rarely causes damage.

At this magnitude and depth, people at rest would likely notice it out to about 30 km (19 mi) from the epicentre. In Ponce, 46 km away, the estimate is intensity II (weak). Estimated from magnitude, depth and distance with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses; felt reports, where there are any, are the measurement.

Likely felt in: Santa Isabel 28 km, intensity II. Estimated for each town centre; each link is that town's own record.

How big was it?

This earthquake released about 890 lb of TNT. Magnitude is logarithmic: each whole step up releases about 32 times more energy, so a magnitude 4.0 would have released about 32 times as much.

  1. Northridge, California 1994 M 6.7 380,000× the energy of this one
  2. Mineral, Virginia 2011 M 5.8 17,000× the energy of this one
  3. Magna, Utah 2020 M 5.7 12,000× the energy of this one
  4. This earthquake M 3.0 about 890 lb of TNT

Energy from the Gutenberg–Richter relation (log10E = 1.5M + 4.8), rounded to two figures; bar length is magnitude, which is already a logarithm of energy. Magnitudes of past earthquakes from the USGS catalogue.

For this area

The largest earthquake within 50 km in our catalogue was M 5.6 on 2020-01-07 — about 8,500 times the energy of this one.

Since 2016: the QuakeIndex catalogue (US, M1.5+), built from the USGS FDSN event service. Before 2016: USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900. Distances are between epicentres. This is the record, not a forecast.

Where

Epicentre 17.7447, -66.2855. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Nearby places

PlaceDistanceDirection from the epicentre
Salinas Municipio, PR 25 km (16 mi) N earthquakes near Salinas Municipio
Santa Isabel Municipio, PR 26 km (16 mi) NNW earthquakes near Santa Isabel Municipio
Guayama Municipio, PR 30 km (19 mi) NNE earthquakes near Guayama Municipio
Juana Díaz Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) NW earthquakes near Juana Díaz Municipio
Arroyo Municipio, PR 36 km (22 mi) NE earthquakes near Arroyo Municipio
Coamo Municipio, PR 41 km (25 mi) N earthquakes near Coamo Municipio

Places and coordinates from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Distances are from the epicentre.

Aftershocks so far

24 earthquakes have been recorded within 50 km since this one.

  1. 2.6 8 km S of Orocovis, Puerto Rico
  2. 2.8 5 km ESE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  3. 3.0 12 km SSE of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  4. 3.1 10 km S of Lamboglia, Puerto Rico
  5. 2.3 3 km S of Las Ochenta, Puerto Rico
  6. 2.4 4 km WSW of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  7. 2.5 Puerto Rico region
  8. 2.6 28 km S of Tallaboa, Puerto Rico
  9. 2.7 4 km S of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  10. 2.3 4 km SSE of Salinas, Puerto Rico
  11. 1.9 Puerto Rico region
  12. 2.3 1 km SSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  13. 2.4 0 km WSW of Ponce, Puerto Rico
  14. 2.4 15 km SSE of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico
  15. 2.4 15 km S of Central Aguirre, Puerto Rico

Counted from the QuakeIndex database, which ingests the USGS feed every 30 seconds · as of . QuakeIndex does not forecast aftershocks. When USGS issues an operational aftershock forecast it appears on the USGS event page.

On USGS

QuakeIndex does not issue warnings. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert.